Albuquerque is facing a housing crisis. The number of unhoused people has doubled in Albuquerque in recent years, and there are over 2,000 unhoused youth in Albuquerque. The average rent in Albuquerque has increased 40% in the last few years. Half of Albuquerque renters are ‘housing cost-burdened,’ meaning they spend over 30% of their income on housing. Across the state, affordable housing has dropped by 50% – to meet the demand of affordable housing in Albuquerque we would need nearly 18,000 more units.

Everyone deserves access to safe and affordable housing, and the Housing Forward ordinance is a step in that direction.

Ordinance O-22-54 proposes zoning changes that allow Albuquerque the flexibility needed to address the City’s housing demand. The proposed changes would allow for increased building height, the addition of casitas, and increased duplex development in certain areas of the city. The ordinance also eliminates outdated parking requirements. Finally, the ordinance will limit the number of short term rentals such as AirBnB. The Housing Forward Ordinance will be heard by the City Council this Monday, June 5, 2023. Your input is needed to get it passed!

How to make your voice heard:

• Email City Counselors by June 5, 2023 and ask them to pass the Rental Registry Ordinance.
  • District 1, Councilor Louie Sanchez: lesanchez@cabq.gov
  • District 2, Councilor Isaac Benton: ibenton@cabq.gov
  • District 3, Councilor Klarissa Peña: kpena@cabq.gov
  • District 4, Councilor Brook Bassan: bbassan@cabq.gov
  • District 5, Councilor Dan Lewis: danlewis@cabq.gov
  • District 6, Councilor Pat Davis: patdavis@cabq.gov
  • District 7, Councilor Tammy Fiebelkorn: tfiebelkorn@cabq.gov
  • District 8, Councilor Trudy Jones: trudyjones@cabq.gov
  • District 9, Councilor Renée Grout: rgrout@cabq.gov
• Provide public comment in support of the Ordinance on June 5, 2023 at 5pm. Click here and then click on the agenda for instructions on how to sign up for public comment

What you might say:

• The Housing Forward ordinance would help build affordable housing in a city where half of renters struggle to afford their home.
• The number of unhoused people has doubled in Albuquerque, and there are thousands of unhoused youth. We need a plan to fix this!
• We need to create more affordable housing like apartments, duplexes, and casitas.
• We can’t allow our limited housing to be rented out to tourists.
• We shouldn’t allow outdated parking ordinances to inhibit the construction of new buildings.